


until tomorrow (goodbye.)

by milktea_s



Category: Naruto
Genre: (for the most part), Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22117453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milktea_s/pseuds/milktea_s
Summary: (and tomorrow never came) — Neji and Tenten and how their lives are inevitably, unequivocally intertwined
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji/Tenten
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	until tomorrow (goodbye.)

**Author's Note:**

> at some point, i had to write something for my very first OTP... except this just made me miss them so much more :'c
> 
> this fic is inspired by "the last five years" (the musical/movie), and the title is a reference to the final song, [goodbye until tomorrow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN_osqBLAKI)  
> in case of any confusion, the story is told in reverse chronological order in Tenten's POV and in chronological order in Neji's POV

_Tenten_

It was unbearable. Lee was sniffling very loudly as he hastily wiped away the tears streaming down his face, and she had to distance herself so she wouldn’t break down crying herself. Some glanced curiously, others critically, at her impassive face. But what she couldn’t stand were the pitying looks. The Hyuuga heiress stood solemnly next to her father and sister, head bowed in memorial. Every so often, Sakura and Ino would sneak a glance as if to check if she were still holding it together. 

_She’s not fragile, damnit_ , and she wasn’t about to cry in front of his tombstone. She wouldn’t. If his death were to accomplish anything, it should at least absolve him of his worries. He deserved to be at peace; the last thing she wanted him to see was her weakness in his absence. She clenched her fist in resolve and stared stonily at the Hokage now paying tribute to his bravery, fiercely blinked away the moisture clouding her vision. If anyone saw the way her legs shook or her lips trembled ever-so-slightly, they made no comment.

When the stifling ceremony finally ended, she quickly excused herself, evading Lee’s attempts at comforting her. Once she was clearly out of sight of the funeral attendees, she relaxed her expression. Her grip loosened to reveal shallow crescents dug into her palm. Even as her vision blurred, she stumbled blindly toward the one place she knew with intimate familiarity: their training ground. And then, after hours of standing unmoving underneath the overcast sky, her legs gave out under her. She did not have the energy to stand back up, so she stayed on the floor, cheek pressed to the dirt they’d leveled years ago. She could almost recall their sparring sessions, her weapons flying and his chakra whirling, to the minute details as if they were only yesterday.

As if sympathizing with her distress, the sky opened up and began pouring. The rain soaked through her clothes and met her skin, but she welcomed the cold. It distracted her from the clawing emptiness in her chest. Now that she could excuse the wetness on her face as rain, she let out the tears she held back.

_Why did you have to leave me, Neji?_

Lee found her, hours later, in the same position and frantically rushed her indoors before she could suffer from hypothermia.

_._

_Neji_

Altogether, he wasn’t too impressed. Of all the mentors he could have been assigned to, Maito Gai seemed eccentric at best and glaringly unprofessional—if his clear favoritism for one student on their very first day was anything to go by—at worst. Not to mention, he chose the one student who showed absolutely no talent at performing ninjutsu in their entire academy class as his favorite, making him a senseless fool to boot. And then there was the girl, Tenten, who proclaimed her lofty goal of surpassing Tsunade. She was supposedly the top kunoichi in their academy class, but she hadn’t looked particularly remarkable or memorable. He barely remembered her name. She called herself a weapons specialist, but from what Neji could recall, she was only slightly above average. Her current mastery over weaponry—or lack thereof—would not make up for her lack of physical strength.

Immediately after introductions, Rock Lee and Maito Gai insisted on running five hundred laps around Konoha and then returning to do three hundred push-ups. And they called it a light exercise for the first day. He did not deign to join their antics and told them as such.

It was very clear to Neji that his entire team was not grounded in reality. What could they possibly hope to achieve if they couldn’t even realize their own limits?

Tenten stopped after four laps. On one hand, it appeared she wasn’t insane, at least. On the other, stamina was just one more thing to add to the growing list of traits in which she was lacking.

This had to be the worst possible hand Fate could have dealt him, placing him in a team of hopeless, talentless imposters. It seemed the only person he could rely on for the foreseeable future was himself. But then, that wasn’t anything new to him anyway.

.

_Tenten_

The war was imminent. Tobi refused to surrender the tailed beasts, and the shinobi countries had no choice but to join forces to stop his plan to recreate the world. Konoha had allied itself with the other hidden villages, and they now prepared for war. On the eve of their dispatch, they stood in their training grounds as if bidding their adolescence goodbye. It was a calm moment before the storm.

“It’s not that I don’t think you’re capable—because you’re one of the strongest, most capable people I know—I just can’t help but worry.” She stared at the floor. Her voice, usually steady and optimistic, shook with emotion.

She let out a heavy sigh. “I just wish I could be there to protect your blind spot.”

And though he had never been one to openly display affection, he reached for her and wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. At first, she was shocked by his boldness, but she slowly reciprocated and twined her arms around his torso, pulling him closer. She was smiling when he pressed a kiss into her hair and whispered with more certainty and confidence than could be rationally justified for two shinobi headed to war, “It’ll be okay.”

“I love you.” She wasn’t going to cry, she wasn’t. But damn it if her traitorous eyes didn’t start to water.

He ran a thumb over her cheek to dry her tears and held her tighter then. “This isn’t goodbye. I still have a future I want to spend with you.”

Her next request came as a quiet plea. “Promise me you’ll come back alive.”

“You, too.”

“Okay, it’s a promise. No heroics, just make sure you make it back to me.” She held on as if he were her lifeline, as if she could preserve this moment in time forever if she didn’t let go.

“Always.” He had no way of guaranteeing anything, but Tenten was reassured. Neji never made promises he couldn’t keep.

.

_Neji_

Their first mission was an unmitigated disaster. Lee was excited to finally be assigned on a mission; Neji thought it was a waste of his talent. Lee’s overenthusiasm was the first sign of impending calamity. He was eager and impulsive, and it took everything she had for Tenten to stop him from accidentally destroying the entire storefront. Their client would not have been too happy with that. 

Neji had to wonder where Gai-sensei was in all this. Their mentor was too lenient when it came to his favorite student. Instead of reprimanding Lee, he encouraged his students to help each other and to work together. This only further annoyed Neji because it indicated Gai-sensei’s fundamental lack of awareness that _he_ wasn’t the one ruining everything. In fact, he was the only one doing anything right and making a serious attempt to actually complete their mission objective, all things considered. If Gai-sensei had any useful advice to offer, it should be directed at his other two students, who very clearly were not ready to handle something of this level of difficulty.

He knew it would come to this. Seeing as he could hardly rely on the other two for help, Neji took it upon himself to salvage the mission. He thought he did rather well with what little he’d been given to work with. But instead of Gai-sensei realizing the error of his ways, their teacher took them aside and lectured the three of them for their lack of communication.

Lee was unsurprisingly in tears for having disappointed his mentor, declaring that he would atone for his failure with eight hundred laps around Konoha on handstand. Tenten’s lower lip trembled in frustration at her own lack of contribution. Neji was indignant at being chastised for something that was clearly not his fault. Had he not shown that he was the only one in this group capable of getting anything done?

“This cannot continue,” was all Gai-sensei could gravely mutter. “We must reinvigorate our springtimes of youth with team-bonding activities!”

Neji ignored the fact that half of what his teacher spouted was absolute nonsense and scowled at the latter sentiment. Whatever “team-bonding activities” Gai-sensei could think up could be neither reasonable nor healthy.

Much to Neji’s displeasure, Gai-sensei played his final card and announced that they would not be participating in the upcoming chuunin exams. He would not be enrolling them for the exam until he deemed them ready to participate _as a team_. Neji could not believe Gai-sensei was holding his promotion to chuunin as leverage, but he had no choice in the matter. Perhaps this, too, was Fate testing him. He only consented to his teacher’s plans with great reluctance and under duress.

.

_Tenten_

It was less often now that they would be assigned to go on a mission together. Perhaps Tsunade had been feeling generous and decided to give them an easy mission for a slow day. On the way back to Konoha, they passed by a familiar sight. Tenten recalled when they had first crossed this very bridge during the first mission she led. It felt so long ago now.

“You know, it’s pretty amazing how far we’ve come, don’t you think?” she quirked a brow as she playfully nudged his side with her elbow. “Wow, you were kind of an elitist snob back then. Good thing you had me, huh, or who knows if you would have been able to make any friends?”

And she was only teasing, but he agreed. “Thank you for putting up with me.”

Tenten had not expected Neji to agree so readily, and she was left embarrassed that he directed the attention back onto her. Hastily, she changed the subject. “Geez, let’s go report to Tsunade and get debriefed so we can go grab something to eat. The mission was easy, so the debrief should be pretty quick - we can probably make it in time for an early dinner.”

“Sure,” he nodded. “Anything but ramen, though,” he added, making a face. “Hinata-sama has been wanting to cook something for Naruto - and we all know about his weird obsession with ramen. She’s been experimenting with different ingredients and using me as her guinea pig.” Tenten laughed. Four years ago, this would have been unheard of. She was glad that Neji’s relationship with his cousin had improved dramatically, so much so that he was able to help her taste-test dishes for her crush, of all things.

Neji continued, “I keep telling her that whatever she makes is great and likely leagues better than whatever Naruto eats at Ichiraku - no offense to their recipe - by virtue of the expensive high quality ingredients she’s adding. If Naruto isn’t impressed by her dish then, that tasteless idiot will never be able to appreciate her cooking. But anyway, Hinata-sama is unconvinced, so she’s been serving me ramen everyday we’re both home. I would like to eat something else for once. Please.”

Tenten tried to keep a straight face as a show of sympathy for his predicament but failed. “Alright,” she repeated with mirth sparkling in her eyes, “no ramen, gotcha.”

After they spoke to Tsunade and were dismissed, they grabbed soba. Neji treated her to sesame dumplings for dessert, and she thanked him.

It was a lovely evening.

.

_Neji_

He had come to realize that he’d misjudged her. She was hard-working and upbeat, oftentimes hiding her insecurities behind bravado. They shared a mutual dislike for weakness and indecision. Most importantly, she could sympathize with his plights because she, too, had to deal with Lee and Gai-sensei on a daily basis. He might even be able to concede that she was a greater person than he for her compassion and for also being able to handle Lee at his most difficult.

She was someone he had come to trust deeply. During one of their sparring sessions, Tenten managed to land a hit to both of their surprise. Her last kunai escaped his notice and he stopped his kaiten prematurely. She stopped just as she was about to summon her next barrage and rushed toward his side. “Neji! Are you alright?” she cautiously extended a hand to hover over his right shoulder where he had been struck. “May I?” He nodded his consent, and she inspected his wound with gentle fingers.

He bit back a hiss as she touched tender skin, and she immediately drew back. “I’m so sorry!” She hastily retrieved disinfectant and a roll of bandages, which she always had on her person due to the common hazards of weapon-handling. “It doesn’t look so bad - not serious enough to warrant a trip to Tsunade, at least. Here, let me help you bandage it up.” With a sheepish laugh, she added, “I’ve gotten pretty good at treating minor cuts and scrapes over the years.”

He was silent as she carefully rolled up his sleeve to clean his cut and then applied a layer of salve. “There, all good,” she pronounced cheerfully as she smoothed a bandage over his wound. “Let’s take a quick break? I’m sorry about that—I honestly didn’t expect any of them to land.”

He mentally weighed the consequences of telling her about the byakugan’s weakness. On one hand, it was a jealously guarded family secret; on the other, if not his teammate, there would be no one he could trust to guard his blind spot. He deliberated before interjecting, “Actually, Tenten, there’s something I’d like to tell you about.”

Her eyes widened fractionally at the severity of his tone. “Oh, okay.” She set down her things to give her full attention. 

“The Hyuuga kekkei genkai is coveted for its ability to grant the user 360-degree vision and to see chakra signatures. But it does have one weakness.” With his left hand, he pressed a finger to the back of his neck. “We have a single blind spot. I’ve been training my entire life to overcome this weakness, but as you can see from what happened today, I haven’t been able to fully do so.”

When he looked to Tenten to gauge her reaction to his admission, he saw that her brows were creased in concern. She must have realized the significance of him revealing his clan’s secret to her. 

“Neji,” she breathed, “thank you for trusting me. I promise I’ll always be there to protect you. I will do everything in my power to guard your blind spot.”

 _Thank you. In return, I will also watch your back to the best of my ability,_ he wanted to say, but he had never been very adept at expressing his gratitude.

Yet somehow, she understood without him needing to utter a single word. She simply smiled.

.

_Tenten_

Neither of them felt the need to explicitly tell anyone about their relationship. In many ways, it was as if nothing had really changed between them; they still trained together on a regularly whenever their schedules allowed and found comfort in the other’s presence. Still, Lee - blundering but caring and perceptive Lee - sensed even the slightest change. He’d returned to the training grounds after completing his laps around Konoha just as Tenten and Neji had concluded their own sparring session.

Unprompted, he appeared at her side and remarked, “Tenten, you have truly blossomed and continue to grow ever more exquisite with each passing day! But it has not escaped my notice that especially in the last few weeks your bright, youthful smile has been even more radiant!”

He spun toward Neji, fire blazing in his eyes, and clasped his friend’s hand between his own, “Ah, Neji, my eternally youthful rival! Have you finally done it?”

Neji retracted his hand from Lee’s and grimaced at his friend’s profuse enthusiasm. “Yes,” he said simply. There was no use in trying to deny Lee; any attempt to convince him otherwise would have been futile, anyway.

Lee was positively ecstatic as Neji’s confirmation. “How splendidly youthful! I knew you could do it!” Lee struck a nice guy pose and smiled with flashing teeth. “Oh, I must tell Gai-sensei of this wondrous news immediately! Gai-sensei, Neji has finally confessed his undying love for our most beloved flower, Tenten,” he effused, eyes glistening with the sheen of tears, and dashed off before either Tenten or Neji could get in a single word.

Lee left as quickly as he had come. After his departure, Tenten shared a look of resignation with Neji.

“Well,” she shrugged in amusement, “I guess that answers the question of how we’ll eventually break the news, doesn’t it?”

“I suppose it does,” he replied. The smile on his face belied his earlier wariness.

Gai-sensei arrived on the scene shortly after and engulfed his students in a giant hug, weeping tears of joy. “Neji, Tenten, Lee! My, how fast you have all grown! I am moved by your passionate display of youth!”

The news travelled fast, largely due to the sheer volume of Lee’s exclamations. By sundown, their juniors had caught wind of the development and were taking turns congratulating the pair at the gyoza stall. Earlier, it had been Sakura and Hinata who had come by to offer their polite felicitations. Then, Team Ten had made a detour on their way to dinner. “Good for you!” Ino had said with a wink, and Shikamaru gave a short nod before Chouji reminded them that barbeque was waiting. 

Tenten thanked them all in turn for their well-wishes. Though she would have preferred a little less attention, it felt nice to be sharing this happiness with their friends. She couldn’t complain.

.

_Neji_

Naruto had recently returned to the village after training with Jiraiya for the last two years. In the time he’d been away, Neji had been promoted to jonin, and Team Gai, though still close, had fewer opportunities to spend time together due to his absence for missions. He still sparred with Tenten whenever they were both in Konoha. 

Incidentally, alongside Naruto’s return, it was announced that Team Gai would be dispatched to provide backup in Team Kakashi’s mission to rescue the Kazekage, who had been abducted by the Akatsuki. Neji could even find himself anticipating their mission together, until he was reminded by the Dynamic Duo’s antics the very reason he dreaded being in their company for too long. He refused to participate in their ridiculousness, but Gai-sensei could not be deterred. For every minute he resisted his mentor’s persistence, the Kazekage lost more precious time. In the end, Neji had no choice but to comply.

Their attempts to track Gaara were delayed by the appearance of Kisame. Their combined efforts were blocked by Kisame’s sword. It felt like they finally had a winning chance when Gai-sensei was able to disarm Kisame, only for the Kirigakure swordsman to summon clones and trap them with his water prison jutsu. As they were temporarily incapacitated, Gai-sensei was left as the only man remaining to resist Kisame’s onslaught and release his students.

The clock was ticking down until they could no longer hold their breaths. Realizing the need to defeat Kisame as swiftly as possible, Gai-sensei began opening his eight gates, but it was not fast enough. From the periphery of his vision, Neji could see Tenten let out a cough; she was at her limit. 

Gai-sensei’s sixth gate provided sufficient distraction for Neji to break himself out of his water prison and release Lee. Now freed, Lee disabled the final clone keeping Tenten captive. 

Neji rushed to her side to catch her before she could fall. She met his gaze, and as he looked into her eyes, he momentarily forgot to remove his arm from around her where he’d been providing her support. He hoped she wouldn’t question his motives for holding onto her for a few seconds longer than strictly necessary.

As she thanked him, something in his heart fluttered. It was a foreign sensation, but it was not entirely unwelcome.

.

.

The weekend before Tenten’s eighteenth birthday, Gai-sensei arranged for the team to celebrate at a small restaurant. Neji was dubious about the staff being able to handle a rowdy Lee, and he was right to be skeptical. By the third hour, Lee had somehow managed to get his hands on alcohol and was loudly professing his great love for his friends.

“Oh, Tenten, every day you grow lovelier and lovelier. You are a beautiful plum blossom finally blooming in the springtime of youth!” Tenten turned pink as Lee waxed poetic and lavished her with exorbitant praise filled with bizarre analogies.

Neji found himself inexplicably and increasingly irritated by his teammate's drunken antics and resisted the urge to shut Lee up with a well-placed jyuuken to his face.

Gai-sensei had conveniently wandered off some forty minutes ago when he caught sight of the hapless Kakashi-sensei. He had immediately declared some crazy challenge and took off with the white-haired shinobi who looked like he would much rather be doing anything else other than dealing with an intoxicated Gai-sensei on a Saturday night.

“Neji, my eternal rival! You, too, burn with the passion of youth! And I am loath to admit that you have grown even stronger since you reached jonin before me, but I will not waver!” He stood up, right hand raised in a fist and left hand tightly clutching at his bottle of sake. Still very drunk, he proclaimed proudly, with conviction, “One day, I shall defeat you and prove that Gai-sensei’s teachings are unsurpassable!”

“Lee,” Tenten shook her head in amusement. “You’re _both_ under Gai-sensei’s tutelage,” she reminded him, insistently prying the bottle away from his hands. She expressed exasperation at their teammate’s low alcohol tolerance, but she looked happy.

Neji heaved another sigh as Lee’s head hit the wooden table with a loud thunk. He was passed out cold.

“Well,” Tenten said with a hint of laughter, “I guess we should probably take him home now.”

He rubbed his temple and nodded, “Yeah, best get this over with.”

She hummed in agreement and, as she slung her unconscious teammate’s arm over her shoulder, mused, “I wonder how Lee got hold of the bottle of sake.”

Neji took the other arm and lifted Lee out of his seat. “I thought we agreed to never let him drink alcohol at a party, after he destroyed the entire bar after a single sip,” he muttered under his breath.

Tenten giggled at the recollection. “If I recall, we’ve also discovered your woeful lack of tolerance for spicy foods - the mighty Hyuuga genius defeated by a single curry dish.”

Embarrassed, Neji gave no response, and the two dragged Lee home, pulled him through the door of his apartment, and tucked him into his bed in relative silence.

“Thanks for the help, Neji.” He grunted in acknowledgement and wordlessly walked her home.

Tenten was a little surprised and admittedly flattered that Neji had bothered to go out of his way to take her all the way to her doorstep. “Well, this is me,” she said as they reached her door. She almost wanted to tease him and say, _wow, it’s almost as if you’re walking me home from a date_ , but she didn’t want to embarrass herself if he responded to her jibe. Instead, she settled for a playful grin. “Thanks for being such a gentleman and walking me back, Neji.”

He was caught off-guard by her teasing, but then he smiled ever-so-slightly. “No problem,” he responded with a smirk of his own. When he didn’t immediately leave, Tenten paused, throwing him a puzzled expression. Slowly, he withdrew a box and presented it to her. “Here, this is for you. Happy birthday, Ten.”

She stilled. The box was neatly wrapped in plain paper and topped with a small bow. Taking it into her hands, she glanced up at him for confirmation if she could open it now. He gave it. She tugged at the bow and carefully removed the paper to unveil a plain black box stamped with the insignia of a famed blacksmith in the Land of Iron.

She marveled at the workmanship, fingers lightly tracing the metal to the delicate engraving of her name on the hilt. “Wow, Neji - this is amazing. Thank you. How did you even manage to get your hands on this?” She looked at him in awe.

“I passed by Tetsu no Kuni on my way to Kumo for my mission,” he shrugged. “When I saw it, it reminded me of you.”

Moved by his thoughtfulness, she invited him on impulse, “Would you like to come in and have a cup of tea? It’s a bit chilly outside; you could come in and warm up a bit?” It was already late, though, and in retrospect, it wasn’t a very practical invitation. But, unexpectedly, Neji accepted.

After seating him at a small sofa in the makeshift living room of her cramped apartment, she left his gift on the stand and excused herself to boil a pot of water in the kitchen. When she was certain he could not see her having a crisis in her kitchen, she buried her face in her hands in frustration. _What made her think this was a good idea?_ There was no way she owned any high quality tea that could suit his expensive, old money Hyuuga tastes. The water atop the stove, uncaring about her current crisis, began to boil, and Tenten had to save her regret for later. She’d kept him waiting long enough. She chose the nicest-looking, unexpired package she could find in her cupboard and brewed the - she eyed the packet - _oolong tea_.

She had another five minutes to mentally prepare herself before she was expected to emerge from the kitchen. With the steaming pot of tea and two teacups in hand, she apologized, “Sorry, it turns out I don’t actually have very many tea options at my place. This is the best I could find.” She bent to place the cups on the table and pour their tea.

“It’s fine.” He lifted his cup to his mouth, took a subtle sip, and said, “Thanks for brewing tea.”

Tenten grabbed a stool to sit across from Neji. She hadn’t planned this far ahead. She bought herself some time to think by raising her own cup to drink. Desperately, she looked back at Neji, hoping that something could prompt an idea for discussion, only to find him observing her face. His inscrutable white eyes only lent his gaze a terrifying intensity. _Was there something on her face?_ Nervously, she tried to engage him in some form of conversation—anything—to divert his eyes. “Neji?”

He broke his intense stare to meet her eyes. Calmly, with his back straight and his hands folded primly over his lap, he said, “I like you.”

His confession was plain, simple, and direct—altogether very characteristic of Neji. And frankly, it was terribly unromantic. But it came as such a surprise that she had no idea how to even begin to respond. She didn’t think it was possible for him to even like her in that way; it had always been such an unfathomable idea that she convinced herself that her attraction would forever remain one-sided.

“It’s fine if you don’t reciprocate. I just wanted you to know.” 

Tenten wanted to respond, but her voice refused to cooperate.

Given that her brain was still busy short-circuiting, Neji had been quietly waiting for a response for some minutes now. With dread, Tenten watched as Neji set his now empty cup on the table. “I’m sorry for overwhelming you,” he apologized. His expression was carefully blank. Tenten had always prided herself on being able to decipher Neji’s cryptic moods, but in that moment he was unreadable. He was already a foot out the door when Tenten’s brain finally kick-started back into action. She rushed out after him.

“Wait!” she forced herself to say, hoping against hope that she hadn’t offended him with her silence, that he would turn around. He stopped. She took the opportunity to propel herself towards him. “Neji, I - I like you, too.”

She stopped before she could get too close, suddenly uncertain of the proper distance now that she’d let go of the secret she buried for years deep within her heart. She was now standing at arm’s length from Neji. What happened now? The confession felt strange and new to her, and Tenten no longer knew what to do. What used to be almost second nature to her—would it mean something else under a different context? Her heart thudded heavily in her chest.

As if sensing her internal conflict, Neji pinned her with a small, secretive smile. “Thank you, I’m honored.” His next words tilted her world back into place. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Tenten.” And just like that, nothing had really changed. They were as close as they’d ever been, ever since they entrusted each other with their blind spots, figurative and literal. It was just that now, they were putting a label on it. He pulled her into a familiar hug.

“Okay,” she relaxed in his arms and grinned. She could do that.

Later, she watched Neji’s figure retreat into the shadows cast by the dim streetlights and smiled to herself. She felt warm despite the chill of the outdoors. 

When he looked back, Tenten was still standing at her doorway. He signalled at her to go back inside and turned around in the direction of the Hyuuga household.

They would each look forward to tomorrow together, and then the tomorrows after that.

.

.

_Tenten_

Tenten bit down anxiously at her bottom lip. The boys had been sent after Orochimaru in pursuit of Sasuke. And Lee, righteous and reckless Lee who was still recovering from a surgery, had followed after them. As capable as they were, they were still genin and risked being hugely outclassed; the mission could endanger their very lives. And all she could do was sit and wait and stew. More than anything, she hated feeling this powerless.

The retrieval ended in failure. Lee returned injured but thankfully safe, though he did receive a scolding from Tenten for not allowing himself enough bed-rest. Neji, however, was brought back in critical condition and was now undergoing treatment by a team of medical-nin led by Shizune. Terrified could not even begin to describe how she felt. Neji’s byakugan was supposed to be his impregnable defense; they couldn’t lose him, not here and not like this. Tenten could remember the instant her heart nearly stopped in her chest as she caught sight of Neji being rushed to the hospital. He’d been pierced through the chest, mere inches from his heart.

She frantically rushed after the medical team into the infirmary, only for them to shut the door to begin their operation. It had been two hours since then.

After an hour and a half of sitting outside in the waiting room in the company of Temari and a disillusioned Shikamaru, Tenten couldn’t bear to stay any longer. She understood that he was in the same position as she was—and perhaps even doubly so. His teammate was undergoing medical treatment for a severe injury with a slim chance of success in the room right next door, and as the leader of the squad, he must have felt in some ways responsible for sending out his friends to near-certain death. 

She could sympathize with his devastation, but she refused to give up on Neji. There was nothing she could do now except to put her faith in her idol and believe that the operation would be a success. She stepped away from the grave atmosphere of the hospital to calm her own thundering heart.

When the news reached her of Naruto’s return to the village and Neji’s successful operation, she cried tears of relief. She kept vigil in his hospital room until he finally reopened his eyes.

.

_Neji_

Through their six years of acquaintance, it was impossible for Tenten to have never met his family. With his own rocky relationship with his family, his teammates were inevitably involved in some way. So too was it impossible for the rumors not to reach Hiashi-sama’s ears. Neji was confronted by his uncle about Tenten and told to invite her to dinner at the Hyuuga household, as Hiashi wanted to formally meet the woman who held such significance in his nephew’s life.

When Neji extended the dinner invitation, Tenten had looked perplexed. At her hesitation, he added, “You aren’t obligated to accept, Ten. Only if you’re comfortable with going. If you’re not, I can simply refuse my uncle’s request.”

“No,” she shook her head. “I should go. Otherwise, your uncle would almost certainly disapprove.”

Neji frowned at her words. “His approval is unimportant. He holds no sway over my personal decisions, and he knows it.”

“I want to go.” Her eyes were steeled in fierce determination. “I’m just nervous to meet your family is all.”

“Okay, if you’re sure, I’ll let him know. There’s no need to be nervous. You’re an exceptional kunoichi, and they will respect you for that alone—not to mention your other admirable qualities. I am certain they will see you for the incredible person you are, just as I do. Plus, you already know Hinata-sama, and she’s always spoken highly of you.” He squeezed her hand in reassurance.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Neji,” she cracked a smile.

On the night of their dinner, Hinata greeted them at the door as Neji escorted her into the manor. Hiashi-sama, normally intimidating and distant, was almost friendly. Once Tenten was able to relax, they fell into a natural conversation. Hanabi was curious and asked many questions, all of which Tenten answered with impressive wit and humor. By the end of their meal, she had undoubtedly won them all over.

Tenten had always been family to him. But now it felt like she was truly a part of both: the first he had found in Team Gai and the second he had finally accepted his birth into. Perhaps one day, he might even be able to offer her his last name to show that by each other’s side was where they both belonged.

.

_Tenten_

She was horrified at what Neji did to Hinata but not surprised. In a year of sparring with him, she had come to know of the resentment he held towards his family. She knew it wasn’t her place to comment on the internal affairs of the Hyuuga family, so she never dared to confront him about his seeming hatred for the main branch. In some sense, she knew his anger was justified. As someone from the side branch, he had defied the odds to be recognized for his prowess, and he deserved all the respect for his talent and drive. His family’s two-branch system had robbed him of his ability to take pride in his own accomplishments. He deserved to be angry at the system. But Hinata did not deserve to be punished for something she had no control over. After seeing what Neji had done to his cousin, Tenten did not want to stand by as mere witness any longer.

Neji had always strongly believed in fate. He had made it evidently clear that their lives and their futures were predetermined. He looked down on Lee for trying so hard; he claimed Lee refused to accept the truth. Privately, Tenten thought he was wrong. Lee worked hard, and she had faith that it would pay off and he would get the recognition he deserved. 

Neji's defeat at Naruto’s hands was unexpected. It must have been a humbling experience. She wondered if Naruto’s words had been effective in changing his mind about the futility of rejecting imposed limitations. She wondered if he realized that he, too, was capable of defying “fate”—that he’d already done so by learning advanced Hyuuga techniques meant only for the main branch on his own.

She noticed Hyuuga Hiashi leaving his room as she walked to the infirmary. She wasn’t sure what to expect when she at last entered through the door, and she was happily surprised. Somehow, Neji had mellowed out. His eyes were no longer clouded with perpetual anger and resentment, and he spoke calmly about his father’s choice. 

He told her of his plans to let go of his past and finally take control of his life and decisions.

She told him that she wanted nothing more than for him to live and succeed and be _free_ in spite of the mark he bore on his forehead.

He agreed, saying that he refused to be caged by the main branch any longer. He was rejecting his destiny of being forced into becoming a sacrifice for the main branch. His death, whenever that might be, would be on his own terms.

When he thanked her with a smile that finally reached his beautiful lavender eyes, she thought she could maybe even fall in love with him.

.

_Neji_

Night was falling by the time they concluded their sparring session. They sat back-to-back as he meditated while Tenten carefully polished her weapons. Putting the last of her kunai away, Tenten shifted and moved to sit next to him. She looked up at the vast as boundless sky just as he cracked open an eye to observe his partner. She sighed wistfully and rested her head on his shoulder. “Hey, Neji, have you ever thought about what you wanted to do in the future?”

He relaxed from his meditative pose and shrugged. “In another year, I might try to join the ranks of ANBU, just to see how far I’m able to go. I guess I haven’t put much thought into my future since I stopped obsessing over my destiny.” His lips curved into a small smile at the peace he’d found.

“You’re definitely more than capable,” Tenten agreed, “but you should only do it if that’s what you truly want to do. You have an entire life ahead of you; don’t limit yourself to just one option.” She lifted her head off his shoulder to meet his eyes. Hers were full of warmth and kindness.

“I’ve been thinking about where I can go from here.” She sat up straight and leaned backwards on the palm of her hands. “Of course, I still have to pass the jonin exams first. But as a kid, I always dreamed of becoming as great as Tsunade-sama. I still want to be a great and respectable kunoichi, but I don’t think being Hokage is for me.” She chuckled to inject some levity to their conversation. “I think I’ll take things slower, at my own pace, one day at a time and see where life takes me.”

“Sometimes,” she confessed quietly, “I worry that I won’t be able to measure up. You’ve got your byakugan to give you an edge in combat, and Lee has his eight gates. All I have are my weapons, the very fundamental tools of a shinobi, providing support from behind. It’s nothing special; anyone can do that.” She fixed her eyes on the ground, her lips frozen in a fractured half-smile. “I might be better suited for teaching a genin squad or running my own weapon shop.”

“Ten,” he said gently, “your support is invaluable. Our team wouldn’t be the same without _your_ support, and your hard work speaks for itself. No matter what you choose, I am confident you will be amazing at it, whether you are here sharing your passion for weapons with others or inspiring the next generation of shinobi or out there saving lives one mission at a time. I believe in you.”

He reached out his hand to clasp hers in reassurance, turning her palm to trace the calluses from years of handling the tools of her trade. These were her hard-earned scars that made her appear all the more beautiful in his eyes. “If you’re worried, I’ll be here to train with you whenever you need it,” he offered.

“Thanks, Neji. I really appreciate that.”

“No problem." His eyes softened as they met her hazel depths. “Every day, we promised to be stronger than we were yesterday, right?”

“Yeah,” she echoed with renewed optimism. “Stronger than yesterday.”

.

_Tenten_

Gai-sensei and Lee were up to their shenanigans again, much to Tenten’s chagrin. Neji was standoffish as usual—a far cry from what she’d hoped they would be, but she had to concede that perhaps it had been wishful thinking. He was never particularly social back at the Academy, so she should have known better than to expect anything different. However, considering the green duo’s questionable training regimen, Neji was by far the saner option.

Biting the bullet, she nervously approached him before he could begin meditating. She would surely lose her nerve then. He scrutinized her with his disconcerting white eyes, and she shrank from his gaze, feeling self-conscious. His stare made her feel uncomfortable and small, as if berating her for so much as daring to talk to the Hyuuga prodigy. But then, to her surprise and immense relief, he agreed, only for her to be beaten soundly within five minutes.

Her weapons were rendered useless by his _kaiten_ , and he sealed up her chakra points with such precision and speed that she barely had time to react before the fight was over. It had barely even begun, she reminded herself angrily.

Neji was disapproving as he reviewed all her mistakes: she was too slow, too reliant on her weapons, and lacking in physical strength. He spoke with a derision that made her ashamed for being under-prepared for their fight. She thanked him for his insight, though his critique felt more critical than constructive. Regardless of his tone, she recognized the truth in his words. She still had many areas in need of improvement.

His condescension only fueled her to practice harder and to prove him wrong. She resolved to work so hard that he would be forced to acknowledge her efforts. She would earn his respect, even if he had to give it begrudgingly.

.

_Neji_

It had taken a while for the allied forces to gather and prepare for the final battle against Tobi, but the day had finally come. Tenten had been assigned to the first division, as had Hiashi-sama. Meanwhile, he had been placed in the second division alongside Hinata-sama. 

Even though he would not be able to fight at Tenten’s side, it was a small consolation that he could at least fulfill his duty and protect his cousin in battle. That wasn’t entirely right either, though. They protected each other. When Naruto taught him to let go of his grudge against the main branch, Neji could finally see eye-to-eye with Hinata. Over the years, they had grown close, and he considered her almost as a younger sister.

She had not been born with the talent for jyuuken that he and her younger sister, Hanabi, had, but she made up for what she lacked in natural skill with determination. She was kind and trusting and unwaveringly loyal. He could never comprehend her insecurity around the loud-mouthed Naruto, who was too much of an idiot to notice her painfully obvious crush. Nevertheless, he respected her decision and was determined to support her—even if it meant a constant practice in self-restraint so as not to smack some sense into the fool, if that were even a possible feat.

The very traits for which he had scoffed at Hinata when they were younger were those he respected her for now. These were also the traits he found himself admiring in Tenten: compassion, sympathy, and dedication. He used to obsess over the predetermined nature of his future. Now, however, he dreamed of building a future with Tenten, of forging a new path and defying the odds to claim his own happiness.

Neji resolved to fight to protect the lives of those he cared for, to fight for their futures. He would not stop fighting until he could see the dawn of tomorrow on the horizon. 

.

_Tenten_

Tomorrow was their first day in their assigned teams. Of course, when she heard of their team assignments, she recognized Neji’s name. How could she not? He was top of their graduating class, incredibly gifted, and famously aloof. He wasn’t one for socializing, and Tenten hadn’t been able to talk to him at all at the Academy. But now that they were on the same squad, she would finally get to know the famed prodigy of the Hyuuga clan. Being able to spar with such a formidable teammate on a daily basis would undoubtedly help her grow stronger, to become an amazing kunoichi like Tsunade.

She knew of Lee, too, and was a little less enthusiastic about being put on the same team as him. If everyone knew Neji as a gifted prodigy, then so too did they know Lee as a slow learner who appeared to have no talent whatsoever for ninjutsu. At their graduation ceremony, he declared that he would become a great ninja using only taijutsu, and she had been skeptical at best. How could any ninja become great with access to only half an arsenal? Even if he were to rely on only taijutsu, he also hadn’t shown himself to be much better than average at hand-to-hand combat. She was pretty certain that as it stood Neji could defeat him in a taijutsu-only match.

Tenten had never heard of a Maito Gai, but she wasn’t overly concerned about a mentor. She trained every day to hone her weapons mastery so she could rightfully claim her title as Konoha’s Weapons Mistress, and she planned to continue doing so regardless of her teacher.

She was optimistic about finally meeting them; she was almost too excited to fall asleep as she envisioned their first meeting—and to think they’d train together every day for the next six years and bond over their mutual goals to become admirable shinobi. Theirs would be a friendship to last beyond a lifetime.

.

_Neji_

The wooden projectile was headed right toward Naruto. Neji cursed as he saw Hinata-sama jump in front of the jinchuuriki. Naruto had always been able to fight his own battles; there was no need for Hinata to sacrifice herself here. But she had made her own choice out of love. And he had made his. He had long accepted that he might one day be called upon to perform his duty and die in the service of the main branch, just as his father had. If that was how he must die, then let it be on his own terms. 

It no longer felt like a curse, a burden of duty; he would be following in the footsteps of his father: sacrificing himself for the future of those he loved.

In the moments before the end, he could see with startling clarity the tears brimming in Tenten’s eyes and remember the promise he had made. Though she was not present to hear, he whispered his last apology to her, “I’m sorry, Tenten. I love you.”

He smiled at his final recollection of his greatest friend and support. “Goodbye.”

**Author's Note:**

> next time (if there will ever be a next time) i will write something happier for them ; v ;
> 
> please feel free to leave a comment!
> 
> edit; vajallie was suuuper sweet and drew a [comic](https://twitter.com/vajallie/status/1217500107265806336) of one of the scenes (thank you so so much i love it aaa ♥♥♥)


End file.
